Tag Archives: oceans

In these provocative photographs by Rankin, you will find naked celebrities and fashion models getting cozy with some slimy fish carcasses, straddling shiny scales and smearing inky octopuses over their bare breasts. As part of the Fishlove campaign, this shocking imagery hopes to draw attention to a crucial environmental and political issue: if we continue to use today’s fishing methods, marine life across the globe will collapse within a single generation, causing irreversible damage to countless ecosystems and human life.

Fishlove, a non-profit organization founded by the actress Greta Scacchi and Japanese restaurant MOSHIMO co-founder Nicholas Röhl in 1992. The community interest company recruits photographers, models, and entertainers to join the effort towards sustainable fishing. The marine life pictured here is commercially bought and sold; many of these species are heavily threatened by over-fishing. Fishlove treads an ethical gray area by using these fish as models, but not one was killed for the purpose of the shoot. To avoid waste, the organization makes efforts to consume the fish after they are photographed.

It’s said that sex sells, and Fishlove relies upon this hope. In their unusual nude portraits, models and entertainers appear like strange mermaids or selkies, washed ashore with their marine lovers. Sir Ben Kingsley cradles a fallen octopus who settles into his palm, and a model arches her back, mirroring the fins of the creature she rides. Though startling, the work serves to remind us of our interconnectedness with underwater creatures and our reliance upon the planet’s oceans. If we continue down the path we’re on, all of these beautiful creatures will cease to exist. To get involved, visit Fishlove. (via Agonistica)